From BBC
Several tonnes of dead fish were reported in the Aisne river at the weekend, close to a Nestlé factory
The deaths were due to a decrease in oxygen levels in the water, the local prefecture said on Tuesday.
Tests are being carried out to determine the origin of the pollution.
The dead fish were found near Challerange, 50km from Reims, the prefecture said in a statement.
The damage amounts to “several thousand euros”, he added. “Everything died in an area seven kilometres long and 30 metres wide.”
“We have already recovered three tonnes of dead fish. But there are still some left. Some 14 species have been affected, including protected species such as eels and lamprey.”
The Nestlé factory in Challerange, which manufactures powdered milk, confirmed in a statement that there had been an “occasional and involuntary overflow of biological sludge effluent, without the presence of chemicals” from its wastewater treatment plant on Sunday evening. Read more on BBC
